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Book i 15 ^ 



oultry Helps 



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It's 
Yofitable and Patriotic 



1918 



Illinois Farmers' Institute. 
Springfield, Illinois 



[Printed by authority of the State of Illinois.! 






EVERYBODY CAN HELP WIN 

THE WAR WITH 

POULTRY 

D. or L 



T MORE POULTRY NEEDED 

# More meat is needed for the boys at the front. 

•t This must come from America. France and 
England can not produce it. Every effort is 
being made to grow more cattle, hogs and 
sheep, but at best this increase will be slow. 
Poultry can be produced more rapidly, and can 
be used to conserve other meat supplies, thereby 
releasing more beef and pork for army needs. 
It can also be produced as economically as any 
other form of meat, and town people as well 
as farmers can aid in this patriotic work. 

MORE EGGS, TOO 

More poultry not only means more meat, but 
more eggs. And eggs are also a good meat 
substitute. The more eggs people eat, the less 
meat is required, and there will be more beef 
and pork for the soldiers. 

EASY TO PRODUCE 

There are no secrets about poultry raising 
which can not readily be mastered by anyone 
who will give it study and attention. Men and 
women, boys and girls, can all raise poultry if 
they will apply ordinary intelligence to the job. 
Poultry requires a small investment; can be 
handled on a limited amount of ground; is 
profitable, and provides a quick means of meet- 
ing the present food emergency. 

Begin NOW— Feed Yourself 



"ONE HUNDRED HENS ON 
EVERY FARM" 

Is the slogan of the 
UNITED STATES FOOD ADMINISTRATION 

If you can not keep 100 hens, keep as many 
as you can. Every additional chick will help. 
This is the most practical and effective way 
in which people living in town or city can add 
to our food production. 



PRACTICAL POULTRY 
POINTERS 

Poultry raising is profitable. It is especially 
profitable in war time. Markets demand poul- 
try and eggs at good prices, and they supply 
wholesome and economical food for the home 
table. Every family should raise its own 
poultry. It is profitable, and right now it is 
PATRIOTIC. 

Choice of Breed 

A general-purpose breed, such as the Plymouth 
Rock, Orpington, Wyandotte or Rhode Island 
Red, is the best for table use. The hens are 
good setters and good mothers, and will give 
plenty of eggs for family use. The lighter 
weight egg-breeds, such as the Leghorns and 
Anconas, are more economical producers where 
eggs are chiefly desired. 

Number to Keep 

Keep as many hens as space and feed supply 
will permit. On the farm, where free range is 
available, 100 hens may be handled successfully. 
On small town lots, 10 to 25 are usually enough. 
Twenty square feet is the minimum amount of 
space to allow each bird. Better keep a small- 
sized flock well, than a larger number in quar- 
ters which are cramped and too small for best 
results. 



Houses and Yards 

A comfortable house is essential. It need not 
be expensive. It must have a good roof, a dry 
floor, and be free from draft. A satisfactory 
house for a small flock can be made from piano 
boxes. Oftentimes an old shed, or other small 
building, can be remodeled for poultry. Build 
ing paper can be used to keep out the wind, 
and prepared roofing will stop the leaks. 

Good ventilation must be provided. Allow 

plenty of fresh air and sunlight. Face the 

house to the south, if possible. An open-front 

house with burlap or canvas curtain is cheap 

and satisfactory. A floor space of 3 square 

feet per bird is about right. A dirt floor is 

sufficient if it will keep dry. It must be high 

enough to prevent dampness at all times. A 

board floor should never be laid on the ground. 

Raise it 10 or 12 inches, with free air space 

below, which will serve to preserve the wood 

and give protection from rats. Arrange roosts, 

with dropping boards, in rear of house, about 

20 inches above the floor. The roosts should be 

set on the same level and about 6 or 8 inches 

above the dropping boards, 15 inches apart, and 
with an allowance of 10 inches of roost space 
per bird. Nest boxes may be nailed to the side 
of the house and save floor space. Make the 
nests 12 inches square and 6 inches deep, and 
keep the straw, or other material used in them, 
always clean. The floor of the house should be 
well covered with clean litter of straw or dry 
leaves. Suitable yards may be made by the use 
of common chicken fencing, and arranged to 
suit individual convenience. 



Hatching the Chicks 

Hatch the chicks early. Early hatched 
pullets will produce more winter eggs. Hot 
weather retards the growth of young chicks. 
Late hatched chicks are more susceptible to 
disease and require more care in raising. If 
hens are used for hatching see that they set 
where they will not be disturbed. Arrange the 
nests low, and provide fresh food and water 
each day. 

Set uniform size eggs and be sure they are 
fertile. Test out all infertile eggs at the end 
of one week of incubation. Cook these eggs 
and feed them to the baby chicks. 

Care of the Chicks 

The first two weeks is the important period 

of the chick's life. They must be kept warm 

and free from lice. If hatched in an incubator 

transfer to warm brooder. Anoint top of head 

with lard or olive oil to prevent head lice. 

Give no solid feed for the first 36 or 48 hours. 

Dry bread crumbs or corn-meal mash makes 

good early feed. Oatmeal or finely-cracked corn 

may also be used. Corn bread, or Johnny cake, 
is a good chick feed. It may be made by mix- 
ing corn meal with a little salt, baking soda 
and sour milk to make a stiff batter. Sour 
milk is excellent for both young and old fowls. 

Feed the chicks several times a day, all they 
will clean up, on clean grass or boards, but do 
not over-feed. A variety of grain feed may be 
used as the chicks learn to eat it. Supply whole 
corn for the mother hen. Clean, fresh drinking 




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water is essential at all times. Keep it in a 
clean dish, where chicks will not get into the 
water with their feet. Don't let the young 
chicks run in the wet grass, or range with the 
hen until two or three weeks old. Provide 
plenty of shade for young chicks, as the hot 
sun retards growth. See that the chicks are 
safe from rats and other enemies at night. 

Selecting the Layers 

Special attention needs to be given to the 
selection of the layers. There are good and 
poor producers in every flock, and the poor ones 
should be weeded out and replaced by more 
profitable individuals. Select the pullets show- 
ing early maturity and vigor. Good constitu- 
tion is essential to profitable egg production. 
Hens that are most active are likely to be the 
best layers. They have full-sized red combs, 
with smooth skin and a large abdomen. Late 
moulting hens are the best layers. Select the 
most likely pullets to renew the laying flock. 
But this does not necessarily mean the elimina- 
tion of all the yearling hens, especially when 
it is so important to increase poultry and egg 
supplies. Hens that molt late and appear in 
good condition may be held over, and will likely 
prove profitable layers. The accommodation of 
both pullets and hens, where space permits, 
will assure larger laying flocks, and is desirable 
under present conditions. Do not sacrifice a 
hen or pullet that will produce eggs during the 
winter if you can help it. Eggs from hens 
are usually better for hatching than those from 
pullets. Hens produce more vigorous chicks, 
usually. 



10 



Swat the Rooster 

Do not allow the male birds to run with the 
flock after the hatching season is over. The 
pullets will develop faster and the hens do 
better without the rooster. More eggs will be 
produced and of a better quality, as infertile 
eggs always keep fresh longer. Keep only male 
birds which are actually needed for breeding. 
Eat, or sell, the others in early fall, as they 
consume feed which might better be used for 
pullets. See that all surplus young cockerels 
are marketed as broilers and roasters. Or, 
better still, caponize the surplus cockerels and 
sell them the following March or April, when 
they should weigh 10 or 12 pounds each. A few 

days ago a southern Illinois man sold his ca- 
pons at 48 cents per pound. This will save 
grain, prevent great loss of eggs, and contribute 
to the market meat supply. 

Feeding the Flock 

There is no one best feed, or combination of 
feeds, for all conditions. The ration should be 
economical and supply the nutrients required 
for egg production. A mixture of the common 
grains is good, but should be supplemented with 
other feed, as grain alone is too fattening. 
Plenty of protein is needed. Supply this in the 
form of skimmed milk, buttermilk, or beef 
scrap. Milk may be used either sweet or sour. 
Table scraps make good feed and should be 
utilized to best advantage. Feed in trough, or 
on a board. The grain ration is best scattered 
in the litter of the scratching pen, where the 
hens will be compelled to exercise in finding 
it. Cracked corn, wheat and oats, equal parts, 



11 



offer a satisfactory grain ration. A dry mash, 
composed of equal parts corn meal, wheat-bran 
middlings and beef scrap, finely ground, in a 
self-feeding hopper, is also desirable. Green-cut 
bone may be substituted for the beef scrap, but 
care should be taken to use it only when fresh. 
Vegetables and roots are excellent for the lay- 
ing flock, as is also green feed, such as oats 
sprouts, cut alfalfa, lawn clippings, etc. Plenty 
of grit should always be supplied in the form 
of gravel and cracked oyster or clam shells. 
Fresh, clean water is essential and should be 
available for the flock at all times. 

Lice and Mites 

Keep poultry entirely free from lice. A lousy 
fowl can not do well. Always provide the hens 
with a good dust bath, as this will help mate- 
rially in preventing the presence of lice. The 
use of some good insect powder, such as com- 
mercial sodium fluorid, is advisable. Dust a 
little into the feathers on the head, neck, breast, 
thighs and tail. The treatment should be 
thorough, and applied to all fowls, for if one 
is missed it will be the means of reinfection for 
the flock. One pound of commercial sodium 
fluorid, when properly applied, will treat ap- 
proximately 100 hens. 

Mites are often more harmful than lice. They 
infest the house during the day and attack the 
birds at night. Thorough spraying with a good 
commercial insecticide, such as a coal-tar prod- 
uct, or crude petroleum, will rid the premises 
of them. Be sure the spray reaches every part 
of the roosts, dropping boards and nests. All 
cracks and crevices must be given special atten- 
tion, as here is where most of the mites harbor 
during the day. This treatment must be thor- 
ough and should be applied as often as needed 
to make sure of results. 



12 




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Preserving Eggs 

When eggs are plentiful, it is well to pre- 
serve some for winter use. This can be accom- 
plished by the use of the water-glass method. 
April and May is the best time for preserving 
eggs. Use those which are strictly fresh, the 
same day as laid, if possible. They should, be 
clean. It is better not to wash them. Badly 
soiled eggs should not be used for preserving. 
Fresh eggs properly preserved will keep in ex- 
cellent condition for 8 or 10 months. 

Water-glass, or sodium silicate, is a pale yel- 
low, odorous liquid, obtainable at most drug 
stores for about 30 cents per quart. One quart 
of water-glass to 9 quarts of water that has 
been boiled and cooled, will be sufficient for 
preserving 15 dozen eggs. Use a thoroughly- 
cleaned 5-gallon jar for the solution. Heat a 
quantity of water to the boiling point, allow 
to cool, and measure out 9 quarts into jar. 
Add 1 quart of water-glass, stirring the mixture 
thoroughly, and the solution is ready for the 
eggs. These may be placed in the solution at 
once, or added from time to time as produced. 
At least 2 inches of the solution should cover 
the eggs at all times. Keep the jar in a 
cool, dry place, and cover well with waxed 
paper to prevent evaporation. 

Limewater may also be used for preserving 
eggs. While slightly less expensive, it is not 
considered as satisfactory as the water-glass 
method. The limewater solution is made by 



14 



olving 2 or 3 pounds of unsiacked lime in 
5 gallons of water that has been previously 
boiled and cooled. The eggs may be placed 
in the solution as soon as the lime settles and 
the liquid is clear. 

The preserved eggs may be used as needed 
for table and cooking. In boiling eggs pre- 
served in water-glass, a small hole should be 
made in the shell with a pin at the large end 
before placing in water, in order to allow the 
escape of air to prevent cracking. 



15 



FREE POULTRY INFORMA- 
TION FOR EVERYBODY 

Illinois Farmers' Institute, Springfield, Illinois: 

''Poultry Helps in War Time." 

"Lectures on Poultry Husbandry." (Circular 
No. 3.) 

"Profit and Loss on Farm Poultry." (Vol. 21, 
Annual Report.) 

"Raising Chickens vs. Poultry Culture." 
(Vol. 19, Annual Report.) 

"Practical Poultry Culture." (Vol. 20, Annual 
Report.) 

"Profitable Poultry." (Vol. 20, Annual Re- 
port.) 

"Poultry as a Woman's Job." (Dept. of H. S. 
Yearbook 1917.) 

U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washing- 
ton, D. C: 

"Standard Varieties of Chickens." (Farmers' 
Bulletin No. 51.) 

"Poultry Management." (Farmers' Bulletin 
No. 287.) 

"Hints to Poultry Raisers." (Farmers' 
Bulletin No. 528.) 

"Back-Yard Poultry Keeping." (Farmers' 

Bulletin No. 889.) 

"Poultry House Construction." (Farmers' 
Bulletin No. 574.) 

"Capon and Caponizing." (Farmers' Bulletin 
No. 452.) 

"Important Poultry Diseases. " (Farmers' 
Bulletin No. 530.) 

"Mites and Lice on Poultry." (Farmers' 
Bulletin No. 801.) 




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Additional copies free upon request 

Illinois Farmers' Institute 

H. E. Young, Secretary 

Springfield, 111. 



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